LOIS COOPER | MuskokaTODAY.com These are troubling times in the world, but the trouble in Canada is of grave concern to me. This wonderful country of ours seems to be in a winter of great discontent to a vocal segment of the country’s population. I ask myself over and over, what I can do to […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Deaths and hospitalizations were down, ICU admissions remained the same, but confirmed COVID cases more than tripled today in the region. Simcoe-Muskoka’s COVID roller coaster continued Tuesday with 7 deaths (down 1), 45 in hospital (down 3), 11 in ICU and 124 positive cases (up from 45 yesterday), according […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — With a state of emergency in Ottawa and provincial capital buildings also on guard against protests led by truckers, 8 deaths in Simcoe and 45 cases yesterday highlight the weekend’s COVID by the health unit. They are among 324 virus cases on the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDH) […]
Stephen Richards | Special to MuskokaTODAY.com | FICTION A Pavilion in Muskoka, Summer of 1943 Beatrice, ‘Trixie Orange’ to her friends, is twirling around in some form of a square dance in her orange tulip print dress. The letter ‘B’ is embroidered on the front over her heart. She is 5 in a strange land, […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — Andrey Petrov knew it wouldn’t last — at least not all winter. His tower of power, which took a week to build, lasted exactly a week. A few more days would have been nice. But it wasn’t for lack of trying. He gave it the same level of TLC […]
TARA COLLUM | Contributing columnist The people who have not gotten a vaccine until now aren’t playing. From what I understand they don’t want to be vaccinated for two reasons: They don’t trust the vaccine, and they don’t think COVID is that bad. This does not at all include people that can’t get a vaccine […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA LAKES — Monday’s reopenings in Ontario, while positive for business, highlight “the very real consequences of labour shortages, global supply chain disruptions and inflation.” A survey including local business owners out today says: “Pain points throughout Ontario’s economy are impairing business operations, and now consumers are feeling the pinch, too. […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Five more people in region over 80 have died in accounting today by the health unit. One of them is a man from Muskoka who died in the community. The other four were in Simcoe and were outbreak related: Male, 80+, Simcoe, outbreak, DOD – Feb 3 Male, 80+, Muskoka, community, DOD – […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — Students and teachers at Gravenhurst High School are mourning the loss of tech teacher George Guppy who died Saturday in snowmobile accident. The popular automotive and manufacturing instructor, from Utterson, struck a tree while sledding in Burk’s Falls, police say. He was 57. Visitation at Reynold’s Funeral Home, Bracebridge, […]
HUNTSVILLE — Police are continuing to help the family of Matthew Alford locate him. The missing Huntsville man was last seen Tuesday, Feb. 1. The OPP are searching for the 45-year-old and are asking for the public’s assistance. Alford was last seen walking alone on Shannon Hall Rd., in Huntsville, at about 4 p.m. He […]
WASHAGO – A Gravenhurst man is dead and woman is in hospital with minor injuries after a multi-vehicle accidents this morning. Police say that at 8:22 a.m. officers responded to a collision on Highway 11 at the Severn River Bridge. Emergency crews from the Gravenhurst Fire Department, Severn Fire Department, Muskoka Emergency Medical Services and Simcoe […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Justin Trudeau said he disagreed with Erin O’Toole, but wished him and his family well. One thing they would have agreed on was not bringing the military in to clear truckers from Ottawa’s streets. The prime minister said “that’s not in the cards.” Doug Ford may say otherwise if […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — You may have had COVID and didn’t know it — even if you didn’t show symptoms. So agrees Dr. Charles Gardner, who says he himself hasn’t gotten COVID — “to my knowledge or had symptoms. “I’ve been extremely careful. I’ve taken every precaution that I advised.” He said: “Me […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — Saturday’s cold snap, which left more than 13,300 south Muskoka customers without hydro for much of the day and into Sunday was caused by a transformer switch failure at Hydro One’s Bracebridge Transmission Station at the end of Gray Road off Monica Lane. In addition, a broken cross arm […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Stunning news today from the pandemic science table advising the province shows Ontarians who didn’t get COVID the past month were lucky. The medical panel claimed that based also on wastewater sampling — including in Barrie and Orillia — that an incredible 1.5 to 4 million people may “plausibly” […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Stunning news today from the pandemic science table advising the province shows Ontarians who didn’t get COVID the past month were lucky. The medical panel claimed that based also on wastewater sampling — including in Barrie and Orillia — that an incredible 1.5 to 4 million people may “plausibly” […]
STEPHEN RICHARDS | Guest columnist FICTION Bart’s apartment, basement of Musician’s Friend, 2012 Bart is dreaming …. 1675 — The trade war with the Dutch had just ended. The British achieved maritime supremacy and exploration seeking out white pine for shipbuilding and beaver pelts for the latest fashions. Hutch Nielsen and Robert Jefferson, employed by […]
TARA COLLUM | Contributing columnist In April 2021 in Kamloops a CBC news van was vandalized with “fake news” scrawled across the door in clumsy black spray-paint. My previous column about the truck convoy was called “ignorant,” “propaganda,” “misrepresentation” and on Twitter I was called, “a moron.” My article dubbed “garbage” and a tweet by […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — It’s about as wide as his house and almost as tall. Andrey Petrov’s latest, largest and most difficult snow sculpture of Canada’s Parliament Building 17 feet tall — plus a Canadian flag on top — and 34 feet wide. It’s 8,000 pounds and took 136 blue boxes worth of […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — With COVID hitting the highest office in the land, local public health reports 355 weekend cases. As of yesterday 61 were in hospital and 7 in ICU, says the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. They also report 4 new deaths since their last update Friday, including 1 more in […]